The Thai authorities have decided to open all of the Bangkok's floodgates to drain water through the city in the Gulf of Siam to avoid large-scale flooding.
“I have decided to ask Bangkok to open all gates, which could trigger an overflow, in order to drain water into the sea as soon as possible,” Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said on Thursday.
All seven floodgates and all secondary gateways will be opened in the evening on October 20. The calculations showed that further attempts to keep the water outside of Bangkok will lead to a breakthrough of protective structures and uncontrolled flooding of the city.
The flooding started two months ago, and the number of affected areas has grown as more rains have lashed the region.
The country’s main international airport, Suvarnabhumi, will remain high and dry behind its 3,5-meter-high flood prevention wall, experts said.
